The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-09-28
Conference OF Yearly Meetings OF
Friends.


sincerely believed by most all Chris
tians, Convert the world to Christ
and wars will cease" Vevy true, If
truly converted to Christ; but it must
be to better religion that now pre-
walls or ever prevailed in either New
England or Old England, which lands
claim to be the most highly Christian
lied Of all the lands in the whole
world. Most truly did that good and
able minister of the Gospel, the late
Dr. Baron Stow, of Boston, say: IA
triumphant gospel, such as now
preached and practiced in Christen-
dom, would not put an end to war /;
but such a gospel as Christ and His
apostles preached would speedily abol-
ish it," Now let it. ever be kept in
mind that a Christianity that allows
war cannot be depended OH to prevent
war.
The Friends, though few in num-
bers in this wide and wicked world,
have an immense moral power, espe-
cially over the church in its various
branches, whenever they exercise that
power. Now the church universal,
and all the governments of Christen-
dom, greatly need thorough rousing
up to O candid consideration of the
criminality, the expense, the folly,
and the utter needlessness of war, at
any time and for any purpose. And
no class of philanthropists can do this
great and important work so easily
and so thoroughly as the highly re-
spected Society of Friends, and no
body of Christians on earth are so free
from the vain selfish spirit of this sim
full world, and no sect is so beautifully
and truly philanthropic. And it
seems to me that it is now the solemn
duty of Friends to appoint a number
of their best and wisest members, not
only to correspond with, but to visit as
far as can be done, the officers and
statesmen of our general and state
governments, and all of the rulers of
the nations Of Europe, and also all the
Yearly Meetings of the leading religi-
Gus denominations in the United
States and Europe, and particularly
Great Britain, and kindly, respectful
ly and earnestly press upon these gov
ernments and churches the reasonable
ness, the importance, and the indis-
pensableness duty of O general disarm-
ament among all the nations of Eu-
rope and America, and of adopting
Arbitration instead of war forever for
the settlement of all international and
national difficulties, and thereby in all
Christian nations prevent internation-
al and civil wars. 1t is surely high
time for all nations claiming to be
Christians to sheathe the sword in an
everlasting rest. What can be so hor-
rible, so barbarous, so unchristian, so
contrary to every principle of patriot
ism and sound common sense, as war
among people and nations claiming to
believe in the principles and to be
even the meek and reverent followers
of Jesus Christ, who taught: "Love
your enemies" "Do good to them that
hate you" GAS ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even 80 to
Them" and who died non-resisting
Martyr to Peace and Love, and left all
men an example that they should fol-
fow His steps of philanthropy.
Friends! friends Of the Lord Je-
sus Christ, and of all mankind, let
this great matter of Peace by Arbitra-
ton, the grandest scheme of earthly
Philanthropy that ever engaged the at
tention and love Of man, come deeply,
prayerfully, lovingly into your benev-
olent and holy meeting at Richmond:
have written in feeble health, and
much more than I intended when |
began, and have very poorly expressed
the depth and tenderness of my feel
ings, on the duty Of Friends, at the
present time, on Peace.
May God, even ''the very God OF
Peace,n in the form of His beloved
Son, 1.-THE Prince of Peace" preside
over your very important meeting
from beginning to close.